Open house, poker run set for quilt shop

Sunday

May 19, 2013 at 12:12 AMMay 20, 2013 at 9:44 AM

Todd G. Higdon

An open house is planned for a new quilt shop, and in conjunction, there will be a poker run.

Mom’s Backdoor Quilts, 219 N. Gilman (Highway 86), Wheaton, will be Saturday, May 25. The Harley’s Performance Poker Run will be held with registration at 9 a.m. first bike out 10 a.m., last bike out at 11 a.m. The poker run will be a 100-mile run.

The quilt shop is located in a room at Harley’s Performance Shop. The Performance Shop moved from its former location – which was next door – to a bigger building.

Harley Minnier Jr., is the owner of Harley’s Performance Shop, and his mother, Dorothy, will be the quilter.

“Actually, I am very pleased,” she said about the opening of the quilt shop. “When we first started talking about it and he talked about giving me the space and everything, I was just going to do quilting back here. I had acquired the long arm to do the big quilts on.”

One part of the wall will feature fabric for sale.

“The more that I thought about it, and the more that we got into it, I saw the amount of space, I said, ‘If we are going to do this, if we are going to draw the people in, we have to have fabric,’” she said.

Dorothy has been quilting for about 15 years.

“I didn’t start quilting until after I retired,” she said. “I am a retired retail business manager. My husband, Harley Sr. and I we started traveling, first in a fifth wheel and then into a motor home and we wintered in Texas. And one of the activities that they had in Texas was quilting lessons. So I picked it up then. I started dabbling in it. I have always sewed; done crochet, knitting, cross-stitch. My first true love was cross-stitch. I picked up the quilting, and I enjoyed it. I just got more and more into it. I have learned a little bit along the way.”

Once open, Dorothy will do quilt classes as well.

Hours of operation for the quilt shop will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The new building is 3,500-square-feet.

“I have so much more space,” Harley Jr. noted. “I do service work on Harley Davidson, … everything from oil changes to motor upgrades, performance work … we do it all.”

Those interested in participating in the poker run can call 652-3155.

According to Harley, Jr., the cost is $15 for a poker hand, $5 for extra card and extra hand was $10. There will also be food at the end of the poker run, and for those who don’t participate in the poker run but still wish to eat, the cost will be $5.

According to Harley, part of the proceeds from the poker run will help a fellow motorcycle rider named Crawdad. He said that Crawdad was injured recently while riding the poker run course and is in the hospital.